Senecio plant named ‘Sunsenebatubu’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Senecio  plant named ‘Sunsenebatubu’, characterized by its compact, upright and mounded plant habit; freely branching growth habit; freely flowering habit; and daisy-type inflorescences with elliptic-shaped ray florets that are violet blue in color.

Botanical designation: Senecio cruentus×Senecio heritieri.

Cultivar denomination: ‘Sunsenebatubu’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Senecio plant, botanically known as Senecio cruentus×Senecio heritieri, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Sunsenebatubu’.

The new Senecio is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Yamanashi, Japan. The objective of the program is to create and develop new Senecio cultivars with uniformly mounded plant habit, freely flowering habit and attractive inflorescence coloration.

The new Senecio originated from a cross-pollination by the Inventor in January, 1997 of a proprietary selection of Senecio cruentus identified as code number 7S-68c, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a unnamed selection of Senecio heritieri as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Senecio was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Yamanashi, Japan.

Asexual reproduction of the new Senecio by terminal cuttings in a controlled environment in Shiga, Japan since March, 2000, has shown that the unique features of this new Senecio are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Sunsenebatubu has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Sunsenebatusu’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Sunsenebatubu’ as a new and distinct cultivar of Senecio:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Freely flowering habit.     -   4. Daisy-type inflorescences with elliptic-shaped ray florets         that are violet blue in color.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Shiga, Japan, plants of the new Senecio differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Senecio are taller than plants of the         female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Senecio have larger inflorescences than         plants of the female parent selection.

In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Shiga, Japan, plants of the new Senecio differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Senecio have larger leaves than plants of         the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Senecio and the male parent selection         differ in ray floret color as plants of the male parent         selection have darker violet blue-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Senecio can be compared to plants of the Senecio cultivar Sunsenebu, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,104. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Shiga, Japan, plants of the new Senecio differed from plants of the cultivar Sunsenebu in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Senecio were smaller than plants of the         cultivar Sunsenebu.     -   2. Plants of the new Senecio had smaller leaves than plants of         the cultivar Sunsenebu.     -   3. Plants of the new Senecio had smaller inflorescences than         plants of the cultivar Sunsenebu.     -   4. Plants of the new Senecio and the cultivar Sunsenebu differed         in ray and disc floret color.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Senecio. This photographs shows the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed description which accurately describe the colors of the new Senecio.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Sunsenebatubu’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet is a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Sunsenebatubu’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs, following observations and measurements describe plants grown in Shiga, Japan during the winter in a polyethylene-covered greenhouse and under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial Senecio production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 5° C. to 20° C. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants. Plants were about five months old when the photographs and description were taken.

-   Botanical classification: Senecio cruentus×Senecio heritieri     cultivar Sunsenebatubu. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Senecio             cruentus identified as code number 7S-68c, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unnamed selection of Senecio             heritieri, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type .—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots.—About one week at 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About four weeks at 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form/growth habit.—Compact, upright and mounded plant             habit. Inflorescences positioned well above the foliar             plane. Vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 27.4 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 23.4 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Quantity per plant: Freely branching,             about 13 lateral branches per plant; pinching enhances             branching. Length: About 21.2 cm. Diameter: About 2.4 mm.             Internode length: About 1.9 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture:             Sparsely pubescent. Color: 146C.         -   Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length:             About 6.8 cm. Width: About 6.5 cm. Shape: Roughly cordate.             Apex: Acute. Base: Cordate. Margin: Crenate; undulate.             Texture, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent. Texture, lower             surface: Densely pubescent. Venation pattern: Pinnate;             reticulate. Color: Developing and fully expanded foliage,             upper surface: 146A; venation, 145C. Developing and fully             expanded foliage, lower surface: 48C; venation, 145C.             Petiole length: About 3.8 cm. Petiole diameter: About             1.8 mm. Petiole texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely             pubescent. Petiole color, upper and lower surfaces: 145C. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with             elliptic-shaped ray florets. Inflorescences positioned above             the foliage, arising from leaf axils. Disc and ray florets             developing acropetally on a capitulum. Inflorescences face             mostly upright. Freely flowering habit with numerous             inflorescences developing over time per plant.             Inflorescences persistent.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly scented.         -   Flowering response.—In Shiga, Japan, plants of the new             Senecio flower continuously from spring to autumn.             Inflorescences last about two weeks on the plant.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 6 mm. Diameter: About             5.4 mm. Shape: Globose. Color: 146C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 4.5 cm. Depth (height):             About 1.2 cm. Disc diameter: About 9 mm.         -   Ray florets.—Shape: Elliptic. Length: About 1.8 cm. Width:             About 6.3 mm. Apex: Rounded, emarginate or praemorse. Base:             Obtuse. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous; satiny. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 13 in a single whorl. Color: When             opening and fully opened, upper surface: 94A. When opening             and fully opened, lower surface: 94D.         -   Disc florets.—Shape: Tubular; apex dentate, five-pointed.             Length: About 7.8 mm. Diameter: About 1.6 mm. Number of disc             florets per inflorescence: About 120. Color, immature:             N144B. Color, mature: 95A.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 13 in a single             whorl. Length: About 6 mm. Width: About 1.6 mm. Shape:             Lanceolate. Apex: Acute. Base: Fused. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color,             upper and lower surfaces: 146C.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 3.4 cm. Diameter: About 1.3 mm.             Strength: Strong. Aspect: Mostly upright. Texture: Smooth,             glabrous. Color: 146C.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Anther shape: Ellipsoidal. Anther color: 95A. Pollen             amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 22A. Gynoecium: Present on             both ray and disc florets. Stigma shape: Bi-parted. Stigma             color: 95A.         -   Seeds/fruits.—Seed and fruit development has not been             observed on plants of the new Senecio. -   Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Senecio have not been     shown to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Senecio. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Senecio have been observed     to tolerate temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 30° C. 

1. A new and distinct Senecio plant named ‘Sunsenebatubu’ as illustrated and described. 